


Greater Jihad

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Episode Tag, Episode: s03e00 Isaac and Ishmael
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2003-05-01
Updated: 2003-05-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 06:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15113618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: "Statistics can show whatever the hell you *want* them to show."





	Greater Jihad

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Greater Jihad**  
**by:** Kasey

**Character(s):** Leo  
**Category(s):** Post I &I  
**Rating:** TEEN  
**Disclaimer:** He belongs to Aaron, not to me, quelle dommage.  
**Summary:** "Statistics can show whatever the hell you *want* them to show."  
**Author's Note:** Blame it on my Modern Political Ideologies class and a desperate attempt to kick-start my muse. 

>   
> **Greater Jihad (n)** \- The Islamic belief of the struggle within one's self to be a better, moral person.

Yeah, so I dropped the ball on that one. 

I could go ahead and blame something if I wanted - I was young and impressionable back in the days of "Any non-white is evil", I need to maintain the interest of National Security and statistics show-... 

Statistics can show whatever the hell you *want* them to show. 

Not to mention statistics show that only one in four Muslims are "Arab." An' it's not like if we say "well only the Arab Muslims are inclined toward fundamentalism" it'll all be okay an' valid 'cause it's not some kind of geographic tendency. It's not like only those few leaders advocate violence against us Westerners, nor is it like only the Muslims are terrorists, Arab or otherwise. It's not like there's no violence committed by white, all-American males, like the KKK or West Virginia White Pride, or...school shootings or Waco or Oklahoma City or whatever the hell violence you wanna bring up. For every example of Islamic Fundamentalism causing destruction, I'm sure you could find at least two more acts of terrorism committed by those who have nothing to do with Islam of any sort. 

So what can we do? We're paranoid and we think they're all gonna come kill our children and blow up our houses and our offices and destroy our civilization...like Communists. 

But if we wanna be what we like to think we are, which is to say if we wanna be good and moral and tolerant and accepting and NOT xenophobic, then we've gotta try and ignore the facial features, which goes against everything we're all thinking as a nation. 

We're scared outta our minds that "people with dark skin" will attack us again, but these people aren't stupid - they're not gonna keep using "Arabs" as their soldiers. Next thing ya know they're using a good ol' American boy at the height of his mid-twenties rebellion to blow up the Capitol with a bus filled with explosives. They're not gonna do the same thing again 'cause they know we're on the lookout for exactly what they did before -it's like showing bunt, waiting one pitch, then hitting a long-ball 'cause everyone's playing in, expecting the bunt. 

So somehow we have to figure out a way to overcome the paranoia and get to the root of the real fear - not all the superficial crap, not the facial features and skin tone and head scarves. 

And once we've done THAT, THEN we can MAYBE say the Islamic world shouldn't dislike us anymore. But as long as we look at them not as people, but as potential terrorists, then why the hell shouldn't they resent us and dislike us? 

I'm not sayin' it'll be easy or a quick process, or that by sayin' "stop looking at skin colour" it's gonna happen - history oughta at least show us *that*, huh? But we can start by saying "it's not the Arabic Muslims who are the enemy"...an' let that be the start of the process. The beginning of the better war, if such a thing exists. 


End file.
